Fatal wildfire brings policy questions

[kurth]

Fatal wildfire brings policy questions
By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer

A blaze that killed five federal firefighters last year has emboldened those who question the cost of saving the ever expanding number of homes on the fringe of wilderness. The five perished last fall while protecting an empty mountain vacation home from the Southern California fire, which authorities say was started by a 36-year-old auto mechanic now charged with murder. However, the deaths also were blamed on social and political pressures and decisions to put homes before the safety of firefighters, according to a report from the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection and the U.S. Forest Service.

As another fire season heats up, some Forest Service officials say a shift in strategy is inevitable as firefighters increasingly risk their lives defending communities that have been built in prime fire territory. "We are not going to die for property," said Tom Harbour, national director of fire and aviation management for the Forest Service. "It's time for homeowners to take responsibility for the protection of their homes."

Chief Forester Gail Kimbell would not say whether the service is considering a change in policy on defending homes in certain fire conditions, but the agency plans to address flaws in the response to the deadly fire in remote Twin Pines, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles, and is conducting a longer-term review of overall firefighter safety...

The Forest Service spends 44 percent of its budget on wildfire suppression annually, he said, and much of that work means protecting homes where suburbs collide with wilderness. More than 6 million homes in California stand in wildfire "red zones" — areas defined in part by their thick brush and steep slopes — and that number is expected to grow by 20 percent in the next decade, according to a recently released insurance report...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070528/ap_on_re_us/wildfires_defending_homes;_ylt=Ajatq.vHOlrvDFnmxcFIO5Cs0NUE

[necso]

1. Without criticizing those who've fallen

in the line of duty:

In the community, there's always been an undercurrent that mistakes were made. (Higher-command mistakes, it's thought.)

Some suggested guidelines (nothing new):
* There must be fire-safe areas that can be quickly retreated to (make them if they don't exist; worst case, you can establish a (completely) pre-prepared last-stand area).
* There must be more than one potential escape route (to some fire-safe area; usable in expectable conditions) for every team.
* Equipment must be positioned, and the team prepared, to make a hasty exit.
* Never advance through dangerous fuels (away from your escape vehicle) to take up defensive positions.
* When making a stand, firefighting teams must be able to mutually support each other, (which means supporting-teams must keep tabs on each other -- and be able to instantly move in support).
* Lives are always more important than property or equipment.

More generally, it's important to understand the nature of the fire that's being fought. Wildfires vary greatly, and some, like that one was, are monsters of a not-commonplace sort. -- Monsters that will kill you if you treat them like more-commonplace wildfires.

Similarly, it's important to understand the potential dynamics of the fire relative to the area of deployment. For example, being straight-downwind of a strong, consistent wind, or at the top of a rise, are generally dangerous positions.

(Media coverage of wildfires in SoCal tends to be badly over-hyped, making it difficult to get a grasp on the nature of the wildfire through this means. However, the speeds-of-spread: in linear distance traveled in various directions, especially wind direction; and in total-area involved -- are generally useful metrics. Which makes it very important not to misreport (underreport, overreport) the spread of the fire.)